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Mike Strange: How about a better but smaller Neyland Stadium?

A full moon sets behind University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium on National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 in Knoxville, Tenn. Hopes are high for Tennessee's 2015 football recruiting class, with a full class of top recruits expected to sign. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)(Photo: Amy Smotherman Burgess)

Big plans are in the works for Tennessee's football home. The next renovation will be a whopper.

Exactly what those plans entail have yet to be determined. They will certainly include more premium seating and new amenities, especially for the antiquated east and south areas of the stadium.

The renovation will come with a terrific cost. Not all of it is necessarily payable in dollars.

Some day when the ribbon is cut, the new-look Neyland Stadium will likely have shrunk.

As in fewer seats.

The project is a ways off. It's currently in the feasibility-study phase. UT is seeking feedback from fans, particularly those who make donations and buy tickets, on what amenities they want most.

Still, the brass in the athletic department is wondering how a reduced capacity would play with the fan base.

The present capacity is 102,455. Anyone within earshot of coach Butch Jones can recite the figure because he quotes it as one of his mantras.

There is considerable pride in being big.

"That's one of the questions that has to be determined as we go through this decision-making process,'' Greg Hulen told the News Sentinel on Monday. "It may be that this number is important to the identity and culture of the program. Or it may be in a different place.''

Hulen is associate athletic director for development, the branch that sells tickets attached to donations.

"No doubt, what people want around a game has changed,'' Hulen said. "The product on the field matters quite a bit when selling tickets. But people want more and that's what we're trying to do, figure out what more looks like and how you pay for it and make sure it's a fit for our fan base.''

The enormity of Neyland has long been part of the culture of Tennessee football. Size matters, but how much does it really matter in 2016?

For years Neyland's ranking chased Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor (current size: 107,601) for bragging rights. The two stood apart from any other venue.

Not today. Penn State surpassed Neyland in 2001 to claim No. 2. Ohio State expanded in 2014 to move up to No. 3. Texas A&M last year completed a massive renovation to jump from 92,000 to 102,512.

Neyland peaked at 104,079 from 2000-05. The additions of a couple of premium seating areas chipped the capacity down to 102,455 by 2010.

So Neyland is No. 5, followed by LSU, Alabama and Texas in the 100,000-plus club.

Now that Tennessee is about to re-enter the renovation game, there is the option of going up. But I don't hear any talk about more seats. At this point, more doesn't make sense.

Fans' viewing habits are changing. College football is as popular as ever, perhaps more so. But being in the stadium isn't as popular as it used to be. Hard sellouts at Neyland have become rare.

That's why the folks at UT want to know which amenities would keep butts in the seats. Posh premium areas are ever more popular. That's a global trend, not a Knoxville trend.

Of course, they're out of Average Joe's price range. But they do help fund amenities that Average Joe can enjoy, such as better restrooms and concessions.